Passage
A collection of scavengers and escaped slaves, Passage enjoys relative protection due to it's location in a tunnel. Despite the cramped conditions, the town continues to grow since it's one of few refuges in the city ruins. History Built as a thoroughfare through downtown Tacoma before the war, the 5th avenue tunnel retained that purpose after the bombs fell. It was packed with survivors trying to flee the city in the first days after the war, but eventually developed into a caravan route in the years to come. One enterprising merchant would take advantage of the underdeveloped nature of the tunnel in 2198, establishing a crude rest-stop out of scavenged materials. the merchant, Rickenbrauer then harnessed his brahmin to move several car husks into a brahmin pen, as well as creating a wider path through the tunnel. The rest-stop was joined later that year by an inn and dry-goods store founded by other merchants, and passage was officially founded. As years passed into the 23rd century others, mostly merchants, would settle in Passage. This was especially pronounced whenever conflict flared up, and by 2215 Passage boasted a population of thirty, with several stores. The contemporary methods of construction and lack of planning worried several residents including Rickenbrauer, so an informal planning committee was established. Within the next two decades the committee evolved into the Zoning Board, with control over most matters in the settlement. This included the hiring of mercenaries & guards after raiders attacked in 2230. Passage would further ensure it's survival in the next decade by capturing New Order foot soldiers trying to escape to the south, handing them over to the Atlas Guard. As slavers consolidated their presence in the Tacoma Ruins, the town became host to runaway slaves, many of whom were women. While the zoning board was able to plan out the housing expansion, it was unable to account for the increased need for food, as well as the needed expansion of the sanitation system. Scavenging, while a constant pursuit of several residents since the founding of the settlement, emerged as the primary industry by 2252 in order to relieve the demand for food. A mushroom farm was also established in a maintenance room a year later, which also used some of the waste as fertilizer. Passage endured a dozen attacks over the next three decades, many in relation to their acceptance of runaways, with the most recent tragedy being the Disappearance of several children in 2286. Despite this loss, the town continues to weather the wastes. Economy Passage is almost entirely dependent on caravans and trade for survival, with scavenging being the primary economic activity that most people engage in, venturing into the nearby ruins. Anything found is brought back to sell to passing caravans whenever they appear. The hospitality industry is the other big sector in town, with an animal pen, two inns, and a full restaurant. Mushroom farming also takes place in spare utility rooms, with excess produce exchanged for more basic staples unable to grow in the tunnel. Government The town is run by the zoning board, whose members are elected on a five-year term. The board controls almost every aspect of town business, and elections for seats are obviously an important matter, with some murdered from time to time. Category:Communities Category:Cascadia